Hydraulic air-compressor



(No Model.)

F. A. ERBE. HYDRAULIC AIR COMPRESSOR.

No. 579,822. Patented Mar.- 30. 1897.

lllll //v VENTOR $016M A rmmve YS.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

FREDERICK A. FREE, OF NORTH BEACH, NEW YORK.

HYDRAULIC AIR-COMPRESSOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,822, dated March30, 1897.

Application filed February 1, 1897- Serial No. 621,499. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. ERBE, of North Beach, in the county ofQueens and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved HydraulicAir-Compressor, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- actdescription. 7

My invention relates to an improvement in hydraulic air-compressors, andwhich, while adapted to compress air for many purposes, is intended moreparticularly for compressing air to be used in forcing beer to faucets,or as a substitute for the ordinary beer-pump.

The invention also consists of certain peculiar combinations of floatsand weights within a tank with which water connection has been made.These floats and weights act to automatically open and close the waterinlet and exit valves, as well as to control the air-inlet valve, sothat the tank is alternately filled and emptied of water and air, thelatter being compressed in the tank before it is discharged.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a central sectional elevation of my device. Fig. 2 is asectional plan view taken through the upper end of the tank. Fig. 3 is acentral sectional elevation with the parts in a different position fromthat shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is an end view of the rubber-tubecheck-valve used with my device, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailshowing the manner in which the water-supply pipe is connected to thetube containing the water-inlet valve.

The object of my invention is to provide an air-compressing device whichshall be automatic and silent in its operation and shall compress airfor any purpose desired. I have provided a tank formed by placing ashort section of a cylinder or tube A between the heads B and B, whichlatter are connected by tie-rods b. The lower head B is provided withopenings to which are attached the waste or exit pipe I and thewater-inlet pipe J. The pipe I is connected with any suitable wastepipefor carrying away' the water after being used. The pipe J is connectedwith a pipe K, leading from any source of water under pressure. The pipeJ is of two different inner diameters, the smaller being next to thetank. Within the outer or larger portion of this pipe is a piston L,which acts as a valve to close the water-inlet. The outer end of thistube is closed by a plug J, and the cavity in the outer end and abovethe plug J is connected by a small passage j with the wastepipe I, inorder that any water collecting behind the piston may have theopportunity to freely flow away when the piston moves downward.

The connection between the two parts of the tube J is by a conicalsurface which. acts as a seat for the valve L which is formed upon oneend of the piston L. The watersupply tube K is connected to the tube Jby being screwed into a boss formed upon one side of the tube J. Theconnection is made through the tube J by means of two small holes It,which enter the tube in the conical portion, connecting the two partsthereof. The stem L of the piston is made smaller than the bore in theinner end of the tube J, so that the water. may flow around the sameinto the tank A.

Mounted upon a standard H, rising from the head B within the cylinder,is a lever H, which upon one end carries the float O. The lower end ofthis float is provided with a series of short tubes, over which arestretched short sections of rubber tubes or nipples G which at theirouter ends are flattened, forming a flat opening 0 which will be closedby pressure from the outside, but easily opened by pressure from theinside. The tubes 0 thus act as check-valves, preventing any flow ofwater through them into the float O, and permitting a ready outflow ofthe water when the pressure within the float is greater than thatwithout. The stem L of the piston forming the water-inlet valve isconnected to the lever II at one side of the fulcrum of the lever. Uponthe same side of the fulcrum is connected the weight D and also thevalve I, closing the water-exit pipe I. The weight D consists of ahollow cylinder having an opening in its upper end, through which shot Dor any other suitable heavy substance may be inserted to give the weightany heft desired.

To the upper end of the weight D is conneeted a tube F, which forms anair-inlet. This tube passes through a hole in the upper head B, which itfits closely, but so that it may slide easily thereon. Surrounding theupper end of this hole is a washer W, of rubber or other suitablematerial, which will form a good' valve-seat. The upper end F of thetube F is made conical to act as a valve. Just below this conical headand at the lower end of the tube within the tank are made holes f and f,the hole f admitting air into the tube when the latter is raised fromits seat, and the hole f admitting air from the tube to the interior ofthe tank. hen the tube is drawn down by the sinking of the weight D, thehole f will be beneath the valve-seat F and consequently no air mayenter the tube. To protect this device, it is surrounded by a cap G,fixed to the head and provided with one or more openings 9 for admissionof air. Then the weight D is raised, the air is free to enter theinterior of the tank, while when it is lowered communication is cut offbetween the interior of the tank and the outer free air.

lVithin the space lying between the float O and the tank A are placed aseries of floats E, four being shown, and which may be made of cork,metal tubing or any substance which has great flotation. These floatsare mounted to slide upon rods 6, which extend between the heads B and Band are free to rise and fall with the rise and fall of the water in thetank. A series of lovers P, pivoted to the upper head, are arranged sothat their outer ends project over the floats E, and their inner ends 19are bent downward, so as to engage the upper end of the float C. Thefloat C and floats E thus act against each other. Then the float O isempty, its lifting power is s'uflicient to overcome the lifting power ofthe floats E, and this power is assisted by the heft of the weight D.

The air-discharge opening for the tank is shown at R. The tubecontaining this airdischarge opening is surrounded by a rubber nipple Csimilar to those 0 used for the check-valves at the bottom of the floatC. This nipple C is in turn surrounded by a pipe R, leading to the pointwhere the compressed air is to be used. A cap A is also attached to theupper head and receives a pin 0 attached to the upper end of the float Oand acting as a guide therefor.

The operation of the device is as follows: \Vhen the tank A is empty,the heft of the weight D will be sufficient to depress the end ofthelever H, to which the weight is attached, and thus raise the float O.This action will also close the water-exit valve 1 and open thewater-inlet valve L. It also closes the airinlet valve by drawing downthe tube F. As the water flows in through the tube J it rises about thefloatsE and O. The floating power of the float 0, added to the heft ofthe weight D, is sufficient to keep the weight D depressed even againstthe floating power of the floats E. The apparatus will thus retain thesame position until the water has risen sufficiently to flow into theopenings 0' about the upper end of the float G, and in doing this itwill compress the air contained in the tank A. \Vhen the water hasreached the openings C, it will begin to fill the float C, andif thecontents within the weight D be properly adjusted the water will verynearly, if not quite, fill the float C before the position of the valvesis changed. When this point is reached, the floating power of the floatG has been dcstroyed by its being filled with water. The floats E willthen have sufficient power to depress the float 0 through the connectionof the levers P, and thus to raise the weight D. The air formerlycontained in the float Chas at the same time been compressed andexpelled from the tank. This will also result in lifting the valves 1and L, thus opening the water-exit and closing the water-inlet. Thewater will then run out of the tank and the air flow in at the top, asthe air-inlet has been opened by the raising of the weight I). The watercontained in the float C will be free to escape therefrom through thecheck-valves (J in its bottom.

The check-valves C will retard the flow of the water from the float Osufficiently to permit the drawing of all the water from the tank beforethe cylinder 0 is entirely empty; that is, the water outside thecylinder 0 will fall more rapidly than the water within the cylinder.\Vhen the cylinder 0 has been emptied of its water, the weight D will besufficient to raise the cylinder C, thus closing the valves 1 and F andopening the valve L, thus commencing the round'of the operations again.This device will continue in operation until the pressure of air hasbecome such as to prevent the water rising sufflciently to flow into theopenings 0. It will then be stopped until the air pressure has beenslightly reduced, when it will commence working at once. Its operationis also silent, there being no parts about the device to create noise.It is also free from wear and not likely to get out of order. The partsare also of cheap and simple construction, thus reducing the cost ofmanufacture. It is evident that the arrangement and shape of the machinemay be changed without altering the function and purpose. I consequentlydo not wish to be limited to the exact construction of the parts asherein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A hydraulic air-compressing device, comprising atank having air and water inlets and exits and valves controlling thesame, a weight tending to set said valves in position to fill the tankwith water and discharge the air through the air-exits, a hollow floatconnected to move opposite the weight and having check exit-valves inits bottom and inlet-openings in its top, detached floats within thetank,

and connections by which when immersed by the rising water they areadapted to lift the weight and depress the first float, substantially asdescribed.

2. A hydraulic air-compressing device,comprising a tank having air andwater inlets and exits and controlling means therefor, comprising ahollow float adapted to be filled by overflow at its upper end so as toact as an overbalance-weight, and to be discharged by check-valves atits lower end, a weight moving oppositely thereto and disconnectedfloats acting to lift said weight when they are immersed by the risingwater, substantially as described.

3. A hydraulic air-compressing device,comprising a tank having air andwater inlets and exits and valves controlling the same, a weight tendingto set said valves in position to fill the tank with water and dischargethe air through the air-exits, a hollow float connected to move inopposition to the weight and having check exit-valves in its bottom andinlet-openings in its top, detached floats alongside the main float,vertical guides for said floats, and levers pivoted to the tank andadapted to engage at opposite ends the hollow float and the detachedfloats, substantially as described.

4. Ahydraulic air-compressing device,comprising a tank having air andwater inlets and exits and valves controlling the same, the air-inletvalve consisting of a tube fitting and moving vertically in an openingin the upper end of the tank, said tube having holes at its upper andlower ends and a conical head above the upper opening, a valve-seatsurrounding said. tube, a weight connected to said air-inlet tube andacting to set all the valves in position to fill the tank with water anddischarge air through the air-exits, a hollow float connected to move inopposition to the weight and having check exit-valves in its bottom andinlet-openings in its top, detached floats within the tank, andconnections by which when immersed by the rising water they are adaptedto lift the weight and depress the main hollow float, substantially asdescribed.

5. A water-inlet valve consisting of a tube having a bore of twodiameters, the smaller bore being the inner one, and a conical surfaceconnecting the two bores and forming a seat, a piston fitting the largerend of the tube and having a conical surface adapted to engage thevalve-seat and close the same, a rod for said piston, occupying thesmaller bore and permitting the water to flow around the same, aninlet-port opening into the tube where it is closed by the piston whenthe same is upon the seat, and a waste-water passage connected to theouter larger end of the tube, substantially as described.

. 6. A hydraulic air-compressing device,co1nprising a tank having airand water inlets and exits and valves controlling the same, a weighttending to set these valves in position to fill the tank with water anddischarge the air through the air-exits, a hollow float connected tomove in opposition to the weight and having inlet-openings in its topand checkvalves in its bottom, the latter valves consisting of tubeshaving a rubber nipple thereon, the outer end of which has a slotadapted to be closed by outside pressure, detached floats within thetank, and connections which when immersed by the rising water areadapted to lift the weight and depress the hollow float, substantiallyas described.

FREDERICK A. ERBE.

WVitnesses:

GUSTAV SOHMITT, J12, THEODOR STEIN.

